Police procedural dramas are always a source of good entertainment, and joining the genre this week is the all-new “Alert: Missing Persons Unit” by FOX. Revolving around the said department of the Philadelphia Police, the show takes us through new cases each week, most of which will involve someone that had gone missing, or possibly abducted.
Starring Dania Ramirez and Scott Caan as the main cast of the show, Alert follows a sophisticated plot that will leave its viewers with a sense of urgency. What sets the show apart from countless of its kind is the fact that we won’t just be seeing new cases each week, instead, we’ll be seeing the protagonist go out in search of the missing people while also searching for her son. Nikki’s personal life has been woven into her life as the head of the unit.
The show will be aired for the first time on Television this month. It has been created and executively produced by the award-winning Jamie Foxx and John Eisendrath. Jamie himself was an actor, and examples of his work include Baby Driver and Dreamgirls. John is a writer, and occasionally produces shows, the most well-known of which is The Blacklist.
Filming for the show started in early 2022, and most of it took place in Philadelphia. We can expect this crime show to be filled with action and drama, as Dania Ramirez admits she had to do more physical activity than she expected. If you’re into police procedural shows and want to watch something different in the genre, Alert is the way to go.
Alert Missing Persons Unit: The Cast
The show will feature many actors since there will be a new case each week. We might even see guest actors on the show, with some permanent cast members.
Nikki Batista, the head of MPU, is portrayed by the actress Dania Ramirez. Dania is a Dominican (Born in Santo Domingo) who has pursued acting since a young age. She worked in several shows and movies. Ramirez has worked in the shows She Hates Me (Alex Guerrero), X-Men (Callisto), Devious Maids (Rosie Falta), and Once Upon A Time (Cinderella). The role she plays is of a strong-minded and serious woman who often falls into the spiral of hopelessness whenever she thinks about her son.
Jason Grant, Nikki’s Ex-husband, will be played by the actor Scott Caan. Scott’s a director as well as an actor who rose to fame through his role in Ocean’s Eleven (Turk Malloy). Scott has been a part of other parts of the movie as well. He already has experience working in procedural shows, as Scott also starred in the series Hawaii Five-0.
His role in the show ended up making him become nominated for many awards, the most notable of which is the Golden Globe Award. His other works include Into The Blue (Bryce Dunn), Mercy (Johnny Ryan), and 3 Geezers (Scott).
Jason and Nikki’s son, Keith Grant’s grown-up version will be portrayed by the actor Graham Verchere. Being from Canada, Graham has starred in many shows like Stargirl and Fargo. His most well-known role is as the younger version of Dr. Shaun Murphy from the show, The Good Doctor.
Accompanying Nikki in her missing person cases is her colleague, Mike Sherman. The actor Ryan Broussard will be the face being Mike. This Louisiana-born actor and athlete is best known for roles in Jack Reacher, Blue Bloods (Officer Harrington), Scream The TV Series (Deputy), Sistas (Jake), and Black Bird (Strack).
Other cast members of the show include Nathaly Thibault (Detective), Fivel Stewart (Sidney), Bre Blair (June), Joe Pingue (Renwick), Adeola Role (Kemi), Sammy Azero (Hugo), Robert Bazzocchi (Raymond James), Simon Anthony (Jack Dalton) and Oliver Ocampo (Cal).
Alert Missing Persons Unit Season 1: Trailer Breakdown
The trailer features scenes from both the work life of Nikki as well as her own life and problems. Sadness, Anger, Grief, and Worry, Nikki helps the stressed parents and people connected to the abducted person find relief from these hopeless feelings. The cases have all sorts of victims, of all ages and genders.
MPU has to rush through time and crack the location of these missing people before it’s too late. We see the group tracking the locations constantly and strategically showing up at the place to catch the criminals. The trailer also shows Keith’s disappearance and just how deeply it affected Nikki and Jason. They work alongside and hope they come across any clue pointing to their son’s location.
Alert Missing Persons Unit Season 1: The Plot
Although Alert may not seem any different than the numerous other crime series that exist, a closer look into the storyline will show you that there isn’t just one story going on in the show. Nikki’s story will be progressing alongside the new-case-each-week scenario.
Her married life with Jason Grant crumbles into pieces after their only son somehow ends up being kidnapped while he was young. Not wanting to just sit idle, Nikki joins the Missing Persons Unit of the Philadelphia Police, in hopes of helping other families and parents that are going through the same thing.
She works with various other departments and people to solve a case. From computer hackers to the FBI, when the case calls for it, everyone puts in their effort to find the missing person. Whenever someone is filed to be missing, the MPU receives an alert on their mobiles, and the group quickly starts probing into the matter.
Based on the trailer, both Nikki and her now ex-husband, Jason, seem to be working together and often console each other at times. Their only wish is to find their son and help others in the process. He somehow comes across a picture showing that Keith is still alive and has grown into a teenager.
This will be another twist to the plot, as Nikki isn’t sure if that’s Keith or if someone’s trying to take advantage of the situation. The cases she works on are diverse as well and often cause both heartache and joy. Searching for someone is a tiring process, and when the question of the worst-case scenario comes in, things just get much more stressful. With all these elements in the story, Alert has the potential to be a great Procedural drama.
Alert Missing Persons Unit Season 1: Release Date
The crime series will be aired worldwide on January 8th, 2023. New episodes of Alert will be released on Mondays, except the first episode, which will be airing on a Sunday. The episodes will be 43-45 minutes long.
Alert Missing Persons Unit Season 1: Episode Schedule
As of now, there hasn’t been any news about the number of episodes the show has ordered, but the release dates for the first four episodes have been confirmed.
- Episode 1- Chloe: January 8th, 2023
- Episode 2- Hugo: January 9th, 2023
- Episode 3- Zoey: January 16th, 2023
- Episode 4- Andy: January 23rd, 2023
The first episode will revolve around the kidnapping of a young girl. As the team analyzes the case, they start to realize that the abduction could be due to her father’s doings. The group comes across various similar cases in the series where the victim has no connection or is not directly involved in the matter. Saving these victims through heart-pounding situations is what the Missing Persons Unit specializes in.
Every Second Counts. Here is an exclusive first look at FOX’s new drama Alert: Missing Persons Unit. Don’t miss the 2-night series premiere starting January 8 after NFL on FOX with fuboTV. #AlertOnFOX pic.twitter.com/7EMv1rTCuh
— Fubo (@fuboTV) December 30, 2022
The next episode will be about a man who is abducted by a mysterious woman who forces him to get into the car using a gun. As these cases are being worked on, we’ll see some information about Keith and his abductor coming into the light. This increases Nikki’s hope of her son being alive, but it also increases her worry regarding the legitimacy of the situation.
Alert Missing Persons Unit Season 1: Streaming Guide
The crime series will begin airing on FOX at 9:00 pm ET and 8:00 pm CT. The show will be aired right after NFL. On-demand viewing for Alert will be possible through FOX’s website and Fubo TV.
Viewers from Canada can watch Alert on CTV. It will premiere on the platform at 8:00 pm ET. New episodes will be uploaded on CTV alongside the USA release Days, which is on Sunday for the first episode and Mondays for the rest. Australian Audiences will be able to stream the show on FOX 4 on the same days.
Hulu will be uploading the new episodes of Alert a day after it’s released on FOX. Although shows of similar names exist on Amazon, the release of Alert on the platform is not confirmed.
